


Looking For Something Lost

by szm



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-20
Updated: 2013-01-20
Packaged: 2017-11-26 03:32:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/646097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szm/pseuds/szm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on this tumblr post.</p><p>http://shakebadguyshake.tumblr.com/post/40968339935/so-i-was-bored-and-i-morphed-derek-and-stiles#permalink-notes</p>
            </blockquote>





	Looking For Something Lost

Lydia sent him in a blue van, because he needed a metal shell to travel in for the spell to work. The first thing he did when he arrived was throw up everything he’d ever eaten. 

Twice. 

It was several hours before he felt well enough to move. Lydia did say the trip would be unpleasant.

**

The first time they ever saw him was at the Jungle (Scott and Stiles were there following Danny because at the time they thought Danny had been possessed by a witch – long story).

“You know, that kid over there has been staring at us all night,” said Scott directly into Stiles ear. 

Stiles batted his friend away, peering into the dark corner Scott had gestured to. There was a guy there, who seemed to panic as soon as he saw Stiles looking and started heading for the fire door. 

“Way to be subtle, Stiles,” complained Scott.

“Come on,” said Stiles grabbing Scott’s wrist and dragging him after the guy. They ended up in the alley at the back of the club, just in time to see the kid climb into the driver’s side of a blue van they ran towards it as it drove away. 

“Great!” said Scott throwing up his hands and coming to a halt several feet ahead of Stiles. “We lost him and now probably Danny too.”

“Relax, did you get a scent?” asked Stiles.

“No Stiles, because I’m not actually a bloodhound.” Scott rolled his eyes and turned heading back towards Stiles and the club.

“Well,” replied Stiles with a grin. “I got the licence plate. Because I am actually awesome.”

“Dude, I thought your Dad threatened to ground you for life if you ran any more illegal licence plate searches?” asked Scott as they headed back inside.

“So don’t tell him,” said Stiles punching the top of Scott’s arm.

It turned out Greenburg was the one possessed, not Danny. And the licence plate number Stiles got didn’t exist. Derek was suspicious (just for a change) but the others just assumed Stiles had gotten it wrong. Which pissed Stiles off actually, it was far more likely just to be a fake plate. Why must people assume he’d screwed up?

**

The next time they saw him was nearly two months later. This time it was Scott, Isaac, and Derek. Again Scott was the one who noticed him, or actually the van, parked outside the vet’s office. He pointed it out to Derek who decided to run flat out, wrenching open the back doors before anyone could drive or run away. The guy from the club was in there, sitting with a laptop balanced on his knee and half way through a sandwich. Derek growled, which Scott couldn’t help but think was overkill, it’s hard for someone to look threatening with a mouth full of bread, cheese, and…

“Is that a cheese and lemon curd sandwich?” he asked out loud.

The kid swallowed and held up the other half. “Yeah, you guys want some?”

“Who the hell eats cheese and lemon curd?” asked Isaac looking disgusted.

Scott shook his head. “I thought Stiles was the only one.”

The kid shrugged and took another bite. “You guys are the ones missing out.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” snapped Derek, sighing like he was resigned to losing any kind of authority again. “Why are you following us?”

“Who’s following you?” asked the kid. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“You’re lying, your heart rate just went up,” growled Derek. “Try telling me the truth.”

“You were at the Jungle a couple of months ago, I saw the van,” said Scott.

“It’s a club,” said the guy with a shrug. “And a couple of months ago? I know this is a small town and everything but do you stalk every new person you run into?”

“When did you get here?” asked Derek, growl still in his voice. Not that it seemed to be bothering the kid at all. It was almost like he was used to it.

“Too early,” said the kid darkly. “Now I have to wait around.” He stood up and jumped out of the van, laptop under one arm. He closed the door behind him and smirked at Derek. “Be seeing you,” he said brightly walking round to the driver’s door and climbing in. He waved to them as he drove away.

Isaac turned to Derek and Scott. “Did he smell funny to either of you?”

**

The next time was the very next day; it was a little harder for the guy to pretend he was innocent this time as Stiles caught him going through the trash outside the Stilinski house.

The kid froze when the security light came on and looked up to see Stiles leaning against the wall.

“This isn’t what it looks like?” he asked with a wince.

“Really?” replied Stiles. “Because it looks to me like your digging through the Sheriff’s trash looking for something.”

“Okay,” he winced. “So it might be what it looks like. But I swear I don’t mean you any harm. I just… I need to find something you lost, or you’re going lose, and I can’t tell you why. But it’s really, really important.”

The stranger looked up at Stiles all pleading and innocent, and Stiles knew that look, hell he’d perfected that look. “I believe you,” said Stiles surprising himself. “Why do I believe you?”

The stranger smirked. “Because you’re a good judge of character?”

“Stiles!” shouted Scott.

“You called Scott, of course.” said the stranger with a resigned sigh.

“What’s your name?” asked Stiles suddenly.

“Gen,” said the stranger. 

When Scott got there the guy was gone, too fast to be human. Scott made Stiles come home with him as the Sheriff was on a night shift. 

“So you think he was a werewolf?” asked Scott later.

“He moved to fast, and he just… he kinda felt like a werewolf, ya know? Like you guys do.”

“We feel like werewolves?” asked Scott incredulously.

“Yeah like, you take up more space than you should? I can’t really explain it…” Stiles shook his head. “Can’t you tell?”

Scott frowned. “His scent is weird, like when you use air freshener to cover up something else…”

“You think he’s hiding his scent somehow?” asked Stiles getting excited the way he did when new knowledge was involved, he commandeered Scott’s laptop. “Why would he? Is that even possible?”

**

Derek ended up stalking Stiles for the next two weeks. Because the strange guy had been seen by Stiles twice, and had been to Stiles house, Derek decided that Stiles was the most at risk. Of course this ended up as a huge argument in the middle of the street. Both participants so caught up in it they didn’t notice they were being watched by the subject of their row. Gen watched them from across the street, making sure that he himself was out of sight. 

“Oh my god, Derek! You can’t keep following me around the whole time. School starts next week, what are you going to do? Huh? Pretend to be an exchange student? Because I hate to break this to you but you’re not going to pass for a high school student outside of 90210” shouted Stiles spinning round to face Derek.

Derek shot a wary eye at the people starting to stare. His hissed at Stiles keeping his voice low to avoid being overheard, but Gen could make it out thanks to the joys of werewolf hearing. “He’s been seen following you twice Stiles. He’s been to your house.”

“He’s been seen following Scott twice,” countered Stiles. “And he’s been where Scott works. But you haven’t got Scott under guard. Why is that Derek? Because I’m the weak and feeble human who can’t look after himself?”

Stiles was practically vibrating with anger, Derek should back off. Gen knew he wasn’t going to though and exactly like Gen thought he would Derek opened his mouth again.

“That’s not what I said! But yes, you are the most vulnerable one Stiles. We don’t know what he wants!”

“Well obviously not me, seeing as I’m so useless!” shouted Stiles. The volume making both Derek and Gen wince. “I’m going to the police station; if you follow me I’m going to get my Dad to arrest you!”

Stiles stalked off leaving Derek standing in the middle of the street looking lost. Gen started to leave before Derek could start paying attention to his surroundings again. He heard Derek whisper to himself as he left. “I don’t want anything to happen to you…”

**

The last time anyone saw Gen, at least for another two decades and some change, it was Scott. Gen found what he was looking for. It was in a bush under Stiles’ window. A simple sliver thimble on a chain that had once belonged to Stiles’ mother, Gen bent over to pick it up when he heard Scott’s voice behind him. 

“Who are you?” 

Gen tensed and stood, slipping the thimble into his pocket as he straightened. “I told Stiles, my name is Gen,” he replied trying to judge if he could outrun Scott. Probably not from a standing start.

“No, that’s your name, I’m asking who you are. Because I couldn’t place it at first but sometimes you look familiar. Derek generally scares people when he runs over to them and starts growling, but you weren’t even fazed. Not to mention Stiles trusts you, Stiles doesn’t trust anyone at first. So, who are you?”

Gen stood as tall as he could, reminded himself that Scott wasn’t an Alpha, not yet, and met the other werewolf’s eye. “Why are you asking if you already know?”

Scott raised both eyebrows. “Because it’s impossible, dude!”

Gen smirked. “What like werewolves?”

Scott shot him an unimpressed look that Gen knew would be a lot more intimidating when Scott was older. “You’re telling me that werewolves can get pregnant, or get other guys pregnant? Because I thought you reminded me of Stiles but yesterday Isaac mentioned that you had the same colour eyes as Derek.”

“No, but magic can be used for a lot of things,” replied Gen trying his best to keep his answer as vague as he could.

“Like time travel?” asked Scott, he tone still a little disbelieving.

“For instance,” shrugged Gen. “Look, I got what a came for. Just let me go.”

Scott stepped to one side and gestured for Gen to go. He caught Gen’s arm as he walked past. “I’m trusting you. But Stiles is my best friend. If you hurt him, I will not be pleased. Are we clear?”

“Yes Sir,” said Gen, this was the Scott that he knew.

**

Travelling forward in time is less of a shock to the system than traveling back. The body is more used to it, you travel forward in time every day, this is just quicker – years compressed into seconds. So this time Gen didn’t have to immediately have to throw up. He just felt dizzy and like someone had tried to pull his insides out through his belly button. However before he could stumble he was wrapped up tightly in two sets of strong arms. One of his Dad’s and Erica were hugging him tightly and had their faces buried in his neck.

“Guy’s let the poor kid breathe!” said Scott.

“Screw you, Scott,” said Derek voice muffled by Gen’s neck. “We never should have sent him, it was too dangerous.”

“You knew!” exclaimed Gen, eyes widening looking at Scott over Erica’s blonde hair. “You worked it out, that’s why you were so okay with me going. You knew I’d been there. You knew for all these years and you never said anything.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Erica finally letting him go and taking a step back. Scott just winked at Gen.

“Never mind that,” snapped Lydia. “Did you find it?”

Gen untangled himself from his Dad and pulled the thimble out of his pocket and dropped it into Lydia’s outstretched hand. “Will it work?” he asked.

Lydia’s smile was small and tight. “I truly hope so,” she said taking it away to her lab.

Derek went back to his husband’s bedside and Gen and Scott went with him. It was shocking to see his other Dad in the bed, looking so pale small, when he’d just left a Stiles who was young and strong and full of life.

“You were different then,” he said aloud.

Derek said. “We were younger, and mostly stupid. Stiles was barely older than you are now.”

Scott glanced at Stiles and Derek. “You look so much like them,” he said. “We should have know who you were. Yeah, ‘stupid’ just about covers it.” He held Stiles hand. “Hold on bro, we’ve got you.”

**

It took Lydia several hours to make the thimble into a talisman that would break the curse. It needed to be something precious to Stiles, something that had belonged to his mother, and the thimble had been the first thing Stiles had thought of, before he lost consciousness. But like most of Lydia’s magic this was experimental, with no guarantees of success. Derek eventually fell asleep curled up next to Stiles. Erica slipped into the room and sat next to Gen picking up his hand and squeezing it.

“I just heard from Isaac,” she said softly.

“Did they get the warlock?” asked Gen.

“Of course, they’re bringing him in. He’s got some quality time with Allison in the back of the truck right now.”

“Good,” said Scott with some feeling.

Erica wrinkled her nose. “God kid, you smell awful.”

Gen smiled at her. “Thanks, Erica.”

“Hey, you lived in me for nine months. I can say what I like!” snorted Erica. “When does that stuff Lydia made you drink wear off?”

Gen shrugged. “Couple of days, wouldn’t have been very good if Dad could have worked out whose son I was from one sniff.” Gen paused and looked at Erica. “Dad was really cross back then.”

Erica sighed and glanced at Scott who just shrugged. “He’d lost a lot, kid. Everything was… different.”

“I didn’t see you, or Boyd.”

“We weren’t there, not then. It was a really difficult time. We were all… confused.” She chuckled. “God, your Dad’s weren’t even together then. I always think of them as a matched set.”

Lydia came in holding the thimble in a gloved hand; it had a new, much stronger looking, chain. Gen gently shook Derek awake. Lydia gave him the thimble. 

“You need to fasten this around his neck,” she explained. “We should try to charge it with as much love as possible.” She looked at Erica, Scott and Gen. “You three, stand back.”

Gen opened his mouth to complain but Scott pulled him back. “This’ll work, kid,” said Erica.

Lydia glared at her. “I can’t promise that.”

“Are you saying your numbers are wrong?” asked Erica sweetly. Lydia didn’t answer. “That’s what I thought.” 

Derek fastened the chain around Stiles neck while Lydia held up his head. The effect was almost instantaneous. Colour flooded back into Stiles face, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He smiled at Derek. 

“Hey, did I miss much?”

Derek choked, half on laughter and half on tears, he hugged Stiles tightly and buried his face in Stiles neck much as he had done with Gen earlier. Stile peered over Derek’s shoulder.

“Marty McFly, get over here,” he said to Gen.

Gen could feel the smile threatening to break his face and he rushed forwards to hug his Dad’s as hard as he could.


End file.
